Year in review: Coaching resignations headline top stories of 2018

Tri-Valley coach Justin Buttermore is all smiles after the Scotties' 24-6 win against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in a Division III state semifinal at Massillon Perry.(Photo: Times Recorder file photo)Buy Photo

The year that was 2018 brought local sports fans plenty of highs and lows, from great conquests to heart-wrenching losses. There were also coaches who bid farewell.

The Times Recorder sports staff ranked the top five stories from 2018, as we take a look ahead to the turn of the calendar.

1. Buttermore, Woodard announce resignations

Early spring was rough on the Muskingum Valley League.

Tri-Valley football coach Justin Buttermore and John Glenn basketball coach Greg Woodard, two of the most successful coaches in league history, announced their resignations in March and April, respectively.

Buttermore left Tri-Valley for Granville after leading the Scotties to a 124-38 record and Division III state final berth in a heralded 14-year career. He was 12-10 in the playoffs.

It wasn't an easy decision. He led the Blue Aces to their first playoff win in 2018.

"I can remember and think of kids from every single team that we've had (at Tri-Valley)," Buttermore said in March. "The effort they've put forth for our program and what they've done to get this program to this level, those kids will never be forgotten."

He said almost 100 former players contacted him once the news broke. Many were stunned.

"Those memories and those relationships that I've built with those guys are never going anywhere," Buttermore said. "Those guys will be with me wherever I go, whether it's at Granville or someplace else. Those relationships are what endure."

Woodard left John Glenn in April as one of only two coaches in MVL history to win a state basketball championship, joining River View's Walt Harrop. He won 373 games in 23 years between Crooksville (1995-99) and John Glenn (1999-2018), including 321 league wins.

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John Glenn coach Greg Woodard talks to his team during a timeout against Tri-Valley.(Photo: Sam Blackburn/Times Recorder)

His Division II title in 2016 was the crown jewel of a sterling career that saw him lead the Muskies to four regional runner-up finishes in addition to his state crown.

He credited former Muskies coach Darryl Jones and former Ohio Dominican coach Ed DiGenova for fueling his passion for the game.

Unlike Buttermore, who took a job prior to resigning, Woodard stepped away from the sidelines.

"I'm out of gas, and anybody who has coached for a long period of time understands how much heart and soul you pour into this job," Woodard said after his resignation. "The energy and passion starts to fade over time, and this was in the best interest of the kids to get someone new in this position."

He was replaced by former assistant T.J. Mitchell, who has the Muskies off to a 6-0 start entering Friday's rematch with defending regional champion Meadowbrook.

2. MVL votes to expand, ZHS left out

After months of speculation, the MVL voted in April to expand into two divisions beginning with the 2020-21 season. They were to be divided into big and small school divisions, according to league commissioner Scott Welker.

The big school division will include Tri-Valley, Sheridan, Philo, Maysville, John Glenn and River View; and the small schools will feature Coshocton, Crooksville, Meadowbrook, Morgan, New Lexington and West Muskingum.

Coshocton, Meadowbrook and River View are currently members of the East Central Ohio League.

Formed in 1938, the state's oldest league will continue to compete as one nine-team league through the 2019-20 school year.

"We formed an expansion committee in 2010 to start looking at options for expanding the league," Welker said in late April. "The committee was very patient regarding their decision making. We covered many ideas over the past eight years to get to this announcement. The league is very strong and our administrators care about each member school."

Cambridge and Zanesville were among the schools whose requests to join the league were declined. That drew the ire of several within Zanesville City Schools who were frustrated at the lack of feedback from the league concerning their decision.

Baker invited Welker to attend the district's monthly Board of Education in May to discuss the matter, shortly after a story in the Times Recorder was published, but he declined.

"Scott nor anyone representing the MVL came," Baker said after the meeting. "I discussed the documents (provided to the Times Recorder) with the board, and we will continue to search for answers to make us a viable option."

Zanesville and Cambridge currently compete in the ECOL.

3. MVL track stars win state titles

MVL track stars accounted for four state titles at the state track and field meet at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, by far the most ever produced.

Sheridan's Ethan Tabor, left, John Glenn's Joseph Clifford and St. Clairsville's Christian Oberdick commisserate following the 300 hurdles race during the Division II state track and field meet on Saturday at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Clifford was first and Tabor second. (Photo: Sam Blackburn/USA Today Network-)

Joseph Clifford, a junior from John Glenn, brought home titles in the 110 high and 300 intermediate hurdle events in Division II. He staved off longtime nemesis Ethan Tabor, of Sheridan, in both events after losing to him in the regional meet at Muskingum.

It was the first time Clifford had beaten Tabor in two years of competing against each other.

"I was talking to Sheridan coach Adam Huffman and how Ethan has driven Joseph all year," John Glenn coach Doug Joy said. "They respect each other and have brought out the best in each other. They're going to be in the folklore of the greatest rivalries in league history. They both represented the area well and it's incredible."

Crooksville's Teck Kirkpatrick broke school and MVL records in the high jump, reaching 6-9 in earning the Division III title. It was the first state track title in school history. His winning jump would have won the state in all divisions.

An exhausted Anna Foster, of Sheridan, lies on the track shortly after winning the 3200 meters during the Division II state track and field meet at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Foster set a new meet, school and personal record in 10:34.3.(Photo: Sam Blackburn/USA Today Network-)

Foster collapsed at the line, completely spent after almost setting a state record in the event.

Sheridan, led by All-Ohio finishes from Tabor and junior sprinter Jacob Rhodes, earned a runner-up finish in the team standings Division II.

4. Sheridan reaches regional finals in football

The senior-laden Generals advanced to the Division III regional finals for the first time in 13 years, amassing an 11-2 record under third-year coach Paul Culver III.

They defeated a pair of 10-win teams in the playoffs, including on the road against the state's No. 2 ranked team in unbeaten Bellbrook. The offense topped 40 points seven times in support of a defense that posted four shutouts and five other games where it allowed seven points.

Senior quarterback Ethan Heller was named Division III Offensive Player of the Year by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association, while senior receiver Jacob Rhodes was a first-team All-Ohioan and senior linebacker Jacob Morgan a second-team pick.

Heller set school records for single-season passing yards (1,917) and touchdowns (21). Rhodes broke the single-season record for receptions (44) and receiving yards (902) in just eight games, while scoring 10 TDs.

"I've been on the Sheridan sideline for a long time,and this group was as good as it gets," Culver III said in November. "They had the ability, work ethic, camaraderie and the love for the program and each other. Their names are there, but they'd be the first to say (All-Ohio) was a team award."

5. Rosecrans girls win regional soccer title

Despite top player Kylan Harper being sidelined with a season-ending knee injury, the Bishops made a spirited Division III tournament run behind a trio of dramatic wins that left fans breathless.

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Parker Farrell leads the charge towards Kailey Zemba after she scored the winning goal against Grandview Heights in a shootout during Tuesday night's regional semifinal at Lakewood High School.(Photo: Sara C. Tobias/Times Recorder)

The first came in a double overtime win against Berlin Hiland in the district finals, followed by a shootout win against Grandview Heights in the regional semifinals.

A few days later, a 1-0 win against Albany Alexander at Logan sent the Bishops to their first final four. That one, decided by a Kailey Zemba goal from almost 20 yards away, also took two overtimes.

The season ended the following week in the state semifinals at London, but the Bishops' gritty play without Harper galvanized the team and captivated its fan base.

"When you lose players like that, you figure it would bring you down, but they didn't let that happen," Rosecrans coach Tom Hutcheson said, following its regional final win. "We talked about it, and said our goals are still out there. They just had to work harder to accomplish them. We're a skeleton crew and a small team, but we play big at heart."